


An Unlikely Reunion

by Koriember



Series: Kiran, Summoner of Askr [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25932166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koriember/pseuds/Koriember
Summary: Four heroes have always answered the Summoner's call in Askr. Whether they considered themselves heroes to each other was something else entirely.
Relationships: Fjorm/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Lysithea von Ordelia & Claude von Riegan
Series: Kiran, Summoner of Askr [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1174169
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	An Unlikely Reunion

"I know what you're going to say so don't say it."

"And yet you ignore me. That's why I say this every year!"

"Your warnings are fondly remembered, Prince. Please don't repeat yourself."

"Please be careful out there-"

"And you say it anyway. Really, Alfonse? This is the fourth time this certain energy anomaly has occurred. I think we all know what's going to happen this time around."

"...Kiran."

"Yes?"

"You're insufferable."

The summoner in question only gave a laugh in response, placing a comforting hand on the Prince of Askr's shoulder. The Prince in response placed his own hand on it, before casually swatting it off him with a smile. Kiran took the gesture as an adequate response and went back to their business polishing Breidablik. Alfonse took notice of it, whistling at the scarred weapons.

"I remember when that was new. Er, the other one- yours, I mean."

"How long have we been doing this, now? This thing has seen some mileage. Look, this scratch is new, courtesy of that succubus Plumeria urging that phantom into my face. Between my Breidablik and Breidablik-Angrboða, there's a lifetime of battles sketched on these things."

"Four years," Alfonse mused. "And there hasn't been a day where you haven't led us well."

"I suppose so. And even if your memory is getting hazy, all of you have done a remarkable job supporting me. The Order is strong thanks to Heroes like you."

"Thank you, Kiran. Be safe up there, okay?"

"Of course."

* * *

2 Days Ago

* * *

"Lysithea, Claude, what's up? You wanted to see me?"

Kiran popped into one of the recreational rooms where the two young Golden Deer were...fiddling with some instruments?

"What exactly am I looking at?"

"Ah, Summoner. Lys here is setting up some tools to study the energy of the Summoning Grounds," Claude greeted, rising to great the summoner with a wave.

The mage gave a light punch to Claude's arm in response to the nickname, but didn't bother to turn her head just yet.

"But she always does that," Kiran thought.

"Well, she found something."

Kiran raised an eyebrow, taking a curious peek and deciding to sit down across from the two researchers.

"...Oh?"

Lysithea lifted her head away from her equipment, nodding her head.

"The readings that Lute, Morgan and I gathered this month are surpassing last year's levels by a fair amount," the young mage explained. With her Crest-related symptoms placed on hold due to the nature of Askr, the mage was free to pursue and assist in any project she so desired. "Being that I wasn't here last year, I can only imagine that the Summoning Grounds experienced a similar swell of this... 'Brave' energy around this time?"

"You'd be right," Kiran affirmed. Alm, Camilla, Micaiah, and Eliwood. Quite the odd combination of heroes, but each one of them had the air of sacrifice and triumph. After all, Kiran had learned that spirits summoned to Askr were often summoned in the heat of their trials and adventures, not always at the conclusion of them. But every now and then, there would come a hero who was leagues and bounds above the others in terms of experience and expertise.

Camilla, for example, had lost the Nohrian-Hoshidan war. That was hardly a triumph. And for all that, she emerged from that bath of light and energy as heroic as anyone else among the Order.

"So you think it's happening again," Kiran guessed, looking over the hand-drawn graphs that Lysithea had compared to last year's 'Brave' swell. "Yes, it should be about that time, if these things have recurring cycles."

"Not only that," Claude joined in, "But the energy here has a similar... uh, how to say it- _Signature-_ to the heroes of Fódlan?"

"Signature?" Kiran wondered. "None of the previous surges suggested a regional summoning shift. What makes this one unique?"

"Exactly what Claude says," Lysithea affirmed. "Whatever is coming in the next few days seems to be purely Fódlaní in nature. Brave and Fódlan. Who do you think that could be?"

"Someone fun, I hope," Claude replied.

* * *

Present Day

* * *

"So, what shall we start with this year, Commander? Red, silver, green, or blue?" Kiran asked, much to the dismay of Anna.

"Just once, please treat this ritual with a little respect."

"Maybe when it stops eating our hard-earned orbs just to vomit out the thousandth clone of Raigh or Azama, I'll take it seriously. Anyway, I respect it plenty. I even revised the words of the ritual in honor of our Brave Fódlaní friends."

"I'm fairly certain you can't do that," Sharena warned.

"I'm fairly certain I, the _Summoner_ , can," Kiran replied.

"Let's save our complaints for after," Fjorm advised, placing one hand on Kiran's shoulder and another on Sharena's. That motion had the added intention of sneaking next to her romantically oblivious partner, whom she planted a quick peck on the cheek to. "Missed you, my _snowflake_."

Oh yeah. Fjorm was alive again. She liked to remind Kiran of that fact. She hadn't died for very long, to be honest, but Kiran was in the doldrums for a while. They even got pretty proficient with Leiptr in her temporary absence, and had used that skill to best the revenant Niflheim princess in a battle that would ultimately free her soul from Hel's premature embrace.

"Back from scouting? How are you feeling? Cold?" Kiran asked, a smile present even beneath their shrouded hood.

"We lose focus so easily," Eir mused, more to herself than anything.

"Yeah, if only we had some sort of respect for the summoning ritual," Anna replied. "Maybe even words to a rite that weren't getting rewritten, oh, that'd be novel, wouldn't it be?"

"I revised the words plenty of times," the older Veronica joined in. "It is still a sacred Askran and Emblian rite due to it being performed by a summoner."

"Hey, shorty, no one asked," Kiran complained, holding Briedablik and Briedablik-Angrboða in the air with pride. "These 'Brave' heroes come from the Vaskrheim to _my_ Summoning Circle, not that shoddy Emblian dungeon you call-"

"Kiran!" Alfonse groaned, pulling his friends apart with a modicum of effort. "Can we focus?"

"I was praising you, you fool," Veronica pouted.

"...Yeah, sorry. Blame Fjorm. She startled me. Alright, alright, let me do my thing. Everyone alright down there?"

Kiran gestured towards the perimeter of the Summoning Circle, where Claude, Byleth, Dimitri, Edelgard, and a plethora of other members of the Order waited behind a recently constructed glass wall.

Yes, Virion managed to accidentally send himself home. Again.

* * *

Turning back to find only the reassuring nods of friends, Kiran assumed an official air, snapping into the proper mindset and decorum of Askr's summoner. Without any other distraction, Kiran stepped forward, loading a single red orb into Breidablik's chamber. With a click, the bolt rode forward, locking in the magical substance. Instantly, Lysithea began to clutch her head, consumed as it was by an enormous and staggering headache.

"Let her be," Alm advised, supporting the young mage alongside the fellow Brave Celica. "It happens every year."

The Order spectators nodded, returning their gaze toward Kiran.

_"Oh heart of crimson flames, I compel thee to rage from thine place of slumber. Hear my voice and heed my call, hero of Fódlan. You stand here once a stranger to us, but no longer. You are among friends, now, and forever. Speak thine name and be welcomed... home."_

With almost rehearsed confidence, a woman stepped forward, hair as pure and stark as the snow of Nifl. Byleth, both of them actually, instantly shot up, almost pressing their noses into the glass as they waved quite vigorously towards another of their beloved students. Of course, seeing those burgundy eyes again, who wouldn't?

"My name is Lysithea von Ordelia, Gremory and Crest scholar of the Unified Fódlan Alliance. I heard a voice calling to me. That was you, wasn't it? You sound... familiar, in a way I can't quite explain. I've walked these halls before, haven't I? These walls... they are known to me, somehow."

"I'm glad they are, Lysithea. Welcome back to Askr."

"...Oh. I've been here before?"

"Why don't you see for yourself, Lys?" Claude teased from the opened door in the glass, quite instantly feeling a connection with the older and equally adorable sorceress.

Lysithea blinked a couple times, glaring at the archer before she shifted her sight toward something far more important. Her already present smile widened when she saw Byleth (and who was that woman who looked just like him?) ...Lorenz- and finally the eyes of the younger variant of herself.

"...I survived," the young Lysithea whispered, knowing the glass wouldn't carry her words.

"Huh. I really did grow a lot in those six years," the older Lysithea replied, just as oblivious.

* * *

"You know, that didn't sound half bad. Did you write that yourself?" Anna wondered, as Lysithea exited the Summoning Circle.

"Princess Veronica and oddly enough, Peony, helped me."

"I just thought the words sounded cool," the Ljósálfar admitted. "It's the sorta thing you find in bedtime stories, when the wizard-"

"Regardless, I'm quite fond of it. Let's continue," Kiran ordered, stepping forward again. A silver orb was chambered now.

* * *

_"Oh light of the silver sky, I compel thee to descend from thine heavens and thine stars. Hear my voice and heed my call, hero of Fódlan. You stand here once a stranger-"_

"Always have been, always will be. But not just to Fódlan, Kiran. The world's a lot bigger than that."

"...Claude. Digging the beard," Kiran laughed, thumb tracing a teasing line down their chin for emphasis. "You completely ruined my ritual."

"What can I say? I get excited when meeting up with old friends. You've been plaguing my dreams as of late, Summoner of Askr. You and that mesmerizing voice of yours, interrupting my beauty rest. Ah! Commander Anna! Looking lovely as always."

Claude stepped forward out of the light, dashing as one could ever be. Behind him emerged a wyvern of beautiful white scales, well behaved for a beast of its size. Even from their vantage point overlooking the Summoning Grounds, no one could have missed the wink that the older Alliance lord gave to his entourage watching above.

"...Handsome rogue," the redhead commander muttered.

"So, what am I looking at, Lord Claude? You're from this United Fódlan Alliance as well?"

"Ah, I can say I had a hand in helping that idea come about. No, I'm only the Almyran King. Khalid von Riegan, ready and willing to serve at your discretion."

Kiran was visibly taken aback, nodding and offering a miserable attempt at a bow.

"Don't worry about all that, Kiran. I'm still the same Claude you've always known."

"You know, you get a pass just this once. Please don't interrupt my rituals again. I worked very hard coming up with something cool to say."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Summoner. A grand feast with grand friends is what we really... need..."

"Huh, King Claude? You alright?"

Green eyes met crimson across that glass. There was silence for a few moments, and Kiran trailed Claude's gaze towards the older Lysithea, who immediately paused her eager conversation with her new friends.

"...Lord Claude," she whispered, fists clenched.

"Lys," came an equally impassioned reply.

With purposeful steps, Claude exited the Circle, instantly setting up shop in front of his former companion. Wait...

They were more than that, weren't they?

"You... you're here?" Claude wondered, glancing between younger and elder with wonder. "You're... here!"

"More than that," Lysithea responded, raising her hand to reveal the royal signet ring of Almyra on her ring finger. But even brighter than that was her smile, realizing that Claude had its matching pair. "I'm still with you."

* * *

"And now they're kissing," Kiran mused, watching the scene unfold from up high. "That was certainly unexpected."

"It's kinda cute. Didn't see that happening, but it's cute," Fjorm joined in.

"He found his life's truest joy to grant his partner the same bliss that he could feel, unrestricted by the cold pursuit of a premature death," Eir speculated, diagnosing the situation quite accurately as she often did.

"Yeah. I'll take your word for it," Alfonse agreed with a bothered chuckle. "You are certainly very concise on these things, Princess Eir."

"It's a pretty good story," Peony joined in, silent until now.

This revelation was not taken as romantically with the younger iteration of the two Alliance students, who quickly glanced at each other with childish disgust.

"No way," the young duke hopeful could only say.

"I thought you had a thing for Hilda," the young Ordelia speculated aloud, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "But ew, me? I'm going to puke."

* * *

"He cuts a rather dashing figure, don't you say? The future of Fódlan must have been kind to him," Dimitri commented to Edelgard, who could only raise an eyebrow.

"So it seems. How very kind indeed."

"Many of us vowed to visit Garreg Mach for the Millennium Festival, five years after our graduation. I wonder if Claude knows anything about that? My own memories are foggy."

"...Mine as well."

Edelgard seemed visibly distraught, but only Hubert could tell the difference between normal annoyance and... whatever this feeling was.

"Lady Edelgard, shall we retire for the day?" Hubert asked, to which Edelgard shook her head.

"Not quite yet. I want to confirm some more things. And also we have two more 'Brave Heroes' to discover. My curiosity is piqued. To think that Claude was a hero of Fódlan, considering his lack of seriousness in the Academy."

"Indeed." Hubert departed, and Edelgard could only pray no one else could see the confusion and worry creeping on her face.

Had her plans... not come to fruition?

* * *

_"Oh depths of the cerulean sea, I compel thee to surge forward and claim thine earthly throne. Hear my voice and heed my call, hero of Fódlan. You stand here once a stranger to us, but no longer. You are among friends, now, and forever. Speak thine name and be welcomed... home."_

Two strong steps announced themselves as soon as the light faded. Steel on tile met with a mighty sound, and a large figure bearing the Crest of Blaiddyd was seen.

"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, First King of the Unified Kingdom of Fódlan, at your service. I heard a voice in my dreams, beckoning me towards these ivory halls. Are you the one who sought me out, Summoner?"

"King Dimitri," Kiran echoed, giving out a silent whistle in amazement. A glance downstairs showed that their emotions weren't the only ones out of alignment. Edelgard in particular was in a certain state.

"Different outcomes of Fódlaní events," Alfonse whispered. "They could be from two completely different possible worlds, like Corrin's friends."

"Indeed, that voice was mine," Kiran responded after taking in Alfonse's thoughts. "I ask of you no shallow request, King of Fódlan: Will you fight alongside us for peace and all that is good in this world, as you had once done for your own?"

"I will, without question. My lance is yours. Your enemies are mine."

"And my home is therefore yours, My King. But first of all, you have quite the entourage awaiting your arrival."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, turning to find Byleth (and who was that man who looked exactly like her?) first and foremost beyond the glass. Without a word, the High Lord stepped outside, and stood silently among his former friends and classmates.

"Teacher," Dimitri simply said, dropping to a knee and giving his former professor (and future Archbishop) the proper respect she so deserved.

"You've gotten taller," the deadpan instructor noted, to which the King of Lions only laughed.

"And you seem exactly the same, Professor. It is wonderful to see you again. Ah, Annette! Mercedes, you two look quite... young? And- Sylvain? Ingrid? What on earth are you two wearing?"

* * *

The future Emperor of Adrestia watched as the supposed King of Fódlan shook hands with Claude and Lysithea, explaining how 'wonderful it is to see you again' and other nonsense that was of no consequence to her. She couldn't explain the feeling she felt, seeing that the path cut out for her led to... this?

No, that couldn't be right. Askr was home to many possibilities. It was only obvious that she hadn't claimed victory in some of them.

Some of them?

"There is one more, Lady Edelgard. Will you stay for the last?"

"I have to know what became of my future," Edelgard pleaded, nodding her head. "We worked so diligently... have I truly been bound for failure all this time?"

Hubert sat down next to Edelgard to idly watch the glass, an unusual motion for him to take given his usual nature.

"I cannot say. But I will be by your side no matter what lies at the end of the path you have paved for Fódlan. So keep your chin up, my lady. You have faced greater trials with greater strength."

* * *

"Last one," Kiran called, holding that emerald orb so delicately in their hands.

"I remember last year's green orb," Sharena giggled. "You got so scared when Micaiah started floating."

"Hey, we can't fly, so why could she? Anyway, is everyone ready?"

"When you are, Summoner. Let's wrap this up."

* * *

_"Oh winds, oh tempest, I compel thee to rush forward and touch each corner of this world. Hear my voice and heed my call, hero of Fódlan. You stand here once a stranger to us, but no longer. You are among friends, now, and forever. Speak thine name and be welcomed... home."_

"There were many heroes of the Fódlan I fought for, but I was never one of them."

Edelgard instantly shot up, her eyes wide as could be despite being blinded from the emanating light.

"That voice... Princess Edelgard?" Kiran asked, still blinded by the light.

"Indeed, I am not Fódlan's hero. Nor am I a mere Princess. I am her emperor."

The Imperial armor stepped into view, as proud and as regal as Edelgard dreamed it would ever be. And wearing that armor...

"Lady Edelgard... it's-"

"Me."

As if by telepathy, the Adrestian Emperor looked through the glass and gave a singular nod to the young princess gazing in awe at the other side. In that gesture, without even a word, Edelgard knew that those five years and countless more before that were worth it.

King Dimitri gave pause as well at the sight of the Emperor, but much to Edelgard's surprise, she saw on his face not anger or betrayal...

But relief?

The Emperor stepped outside the grounds with purpose, stopping right in front of Dimitri. Despite their vast differences in height, she challenged his gaze with a fire ever burning.

"El."

"Dimitri."

"The future was cruel to both of us, wasn't it?" the High King asked softly. His relief was still there, as if...

"We claimed it for ourselves nonetheless, didn't we?" the Emperor responded, letting slip a sad smile.

With that, the young Princess Edelgard left the grounds, a lighter step in her stride than when she entered.

* * *

"We are alone now, King Dimitri. What did you want to speak to me about?"

'Emperor Edelgard and King Dimitri sat across from each other, Imperial and Kingdom gauntlets alike struggling to hold their teacups. That was all just airs, of course. The tea was a distraction from the true debate topic at hand.

"You are aware of the nature of Askr's heroes, right?"

"Heroes from the past and the future, whose allies could have seen different futures unfold. Yes, Dimitri, I know. It is highly unlikely I am the same Edelgard you knew. Just as it is that you are not the Dimitri I knew."

"The Dimitri of your world... he couldn't stop you, could he?," the High Lord began.

"He fell at Tailtean, along with the rest of the Kingdom's army," Edelgard responded, stating the death like it was a natural cause. "He... _they_ fought bravely. Faerghus' honor was unsullied, that day."

"...Was it worth it?"

Edelgard nodded back, not finding a reason to deny her actions.

"Yes. Your death and the deaths of those slain along the way helped paved the road for a Fódlan where humanity could truly reach for their own dreams. Your lives were not lost in vain."

Edelgard let the sentence ring for a few seconds, closing her eyes as she imagined that day in Enbarr. The coronation, the fanfare.

The feeling of a hand so precious to hers wrapped in her own, away from prying eyes.

Dimitri cleared his throat and those lilac orbs emerged once more. It was clear to see that the High Lord was clearly a little disturbed.

"I see. Congratulations, I suppose. If you deemed it thus, I am sure the Fódlan you left behind was one of great satisfaction and fulfillment."

"I suppose you asking that question has a reason," Edelgard presumed. Dimitri nodded.

"Of course it does. There wasn't a day that passed where I did not question why you had to do what you did. Then, as the reforms across Fódlan happened in my world... I started to see what you saw. But there was no way I could be the first to walk down that road, not with so much innocent blood sullying that path."

"Was your victory over me worth it?" Edelgard asked, changing the subject quite suddenly. Dimitri's eye widened, and he shook his head.

"No. But I know it had to end that way. What we gained was... nothing compared to what we lost."

"...I see. And what became of the world I left behind?"

"Within a few years, we vanquished the Agarthans, thanks to your prior research. Rhea died of her injuries, and the Church was disbanded. Many of your surviving allies helped to spearhead a shift of the paradigm across the nobility, inspired by your cause. We... We could have worked together. Our goals never-"

"Never regret what you had to do, Dimitri. You held the weight of the world on your shoulders. Regret would only make that burden heavier."

"You don't quite understand, El. Your voice... haunted me on every quiet night. Just like all the others."

"But you cut through, didn't you?" Edelgard asked, unsheathing the dagger by her side with a deliberate motion. "You cut through."

"I did. Thanks to your sacrifice," Dimitri responded, taking the dagger in his hand and marking the spot where she had so deliberately missed his neck. Edelgard seemed to understand the purpose of that pock-marked spot in the armor, taking the dagger back.

"Then that's that, I suppose," Edelgard sighed. "There's nothing to regret."

"I have some choice words for you, but I suppose they're too late," Dimitri laughed. "It is wonderful to get to talk to you again, El." Edelgard smiled at the words, sipping her cold tea at last.

"...I remembered you, when you called me by that name. That moment... I almost stopped. But you were too far gone in your path for revenge, and you mistook me as the architect of your grief."

"I understood too late, I suppose. You were never at fault for my past. But that doesn't excuse the war. Which... you paid for, I suppose. So I can only hold you up to a blank slate, Emperor of Adrestia."

"I hold no titles here, King of Lions. I am merely another member of the Order of Heroes, now."

Dimitri nodded, struggling to fit his hand through the handle of the teacup before deciding to grip the entire thing in his palm. Edelgard snorted silently at the gesture, a smile back on her face.

"...Will you ever tell me what led you down that path, El?"

"Of course, Dimitri. After all, I have no more secrets to hold. My life here in Askr is not one to be spent scheming."

"No, that would be Claude's job, after all. By the way, did you get a chance to talk to him?"

"He's no doubt having the time of his life with Lysithea. He'll come to us, I have no doubts."

"Well in that case, I'd like to stay here a bit longer. Our trials in Fódlan are over, it seems," Dimitri sighed, wistfully remembering the days in his memories. "But our adventure in Askr seems to have begun in full swing. If you wouldn't mind, I don't see why it can't be one the both of us face together, this time."

"I'm inclined to accept that request, Dimitri. I'll admit that I've entertained the idea of the two of us side by side in the battlefield."

"Then let's see how well your imagination holds up to the real thing, El."

**Author's Note:**

> Ayy, I'm hyped and idgaf that the designs aren't that inspired because master class-lords look baller as hell. Oh, and Lysithea Claude shippers, you're welcome.


End file.
